Yeah, the card have been in limited supply since it were announced due to TSMC's cluster**** of a 40nm process.
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So, who has tried their 5870 in a 2008 or 2006 Mac Pro?
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Yeah, the card have been in limited supply since it were announced due to TSMC's cluster**** of a 40nm process.
Mini DisplayPort -- Good News; 2006 MP -- Mixed
Two new developments overnight.
1. I tried a different display (23" LCD) on the 2008 and 2009 Mac Pro. The Mini DisplayPort on the 5870 *DOES* work on the both. Furthermore, I have reports from readers that the Mini DisplayPort works fine on their 2006 Mac Pro with the 4870. Therefore, I rescind my caveat that the Mini DisplayPort isn't compatible with the older Mac Pros.
2. I have access to a 2006 Mac Pro in a day or so. I'll be trying the 5870 on it. OWC has the 5770 working on their 2006 but they said the 5870 was a "no." Yet I have another source that says it is working reliably on their 2006. Seems like I remember there being a Boot ROM or SMC difference in the earliest Mac Pros that affected the ability to use the 4870 --- but that should also apply to the 5770. Also in 2007, the 8-core "2006" was released with a different Boot ROM or SMC version. Still digging.
Two new developments overnight.
1. I tried a different display (23" LCD) on the 2008 and 2009 Mac Pro. The Mini DisplayPort on the 5870 *DOES* work on the both. Furthermore, I have reports from readers that the Mini DisplayPort works fine on their 2006 Mac Pro with the 4870. Therefore, I rescind my caveat that the Mini DisplayPort isn't compatible with the older Mac Pros.
2. I have access to a 2006 Mac Pro in a day or so. I'll be trying the 5870 on it. OWC has the 5770 working on their 2006 but they said the 5870 was a "no." Yet I have another source that says it is working reliably on their 2006. Seems like I remember there being a Boot ROM or SMC difference in the earliest Mac Pros that affected the ability to use the 4870 --- but that should also apply to the 5770. Also in 2007, the 8-core "2006" was released with a different Boot ROM or SMC version. Still digging.
Strange... but good to hear! I wonder what's causing the 30" not to work but the 23" to work fine?
One Card + Three Macs = GPU Nirvana
Here goes, gang. Seven games at 2560x1600 and 1920x1200 in the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Mac Pro -- all three with the Radeon HD 5870:
http://barefeats.com/wst10g2.html
Here goes, gang. Seven games at 2560x1600 and 1920x1200 in the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Mac Pro -- all three with the Radeon HD 5870:
http://barefeats.com/wst10g2.html
Doesn't make sense to me either. I'll give it another shot using the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter today.
Cool! Now I'm cautiously optimistic.
You've made my day. I ordered the 5770 for my 2008 Mac Pro (although shipping date is Sept 25th, boooo).
Question: I have the 4870 already and the GT 120 just came but I have't used it yet. Should I hold off and return the GT 120, sell the 4870 (it's only a few months old) and just use the 5770? Both the 4870 and GT 120 have 1 MDP and 1 Dual-link DVI with 512MB each, would the 1GB on the 5770 make a difference?
Barefeats (Rob-ART), thanks so much for your efforts in all this testing!
Can't wait to also see your test results with a 5770 in a 2008 Mac Pro. I use OS X most of the time, but occasionally play some pretty graphics intensive games in Windows via Boot Camp. So I'm a bit on the fence between a 5770 and a 5870. If your 5870 testing is any indication, then hopefully the 5770 will work just as well.
How does the 5870 physically fit inside the 2008 Mac Pro? Does the card's bracket fit neatly into the slots in the fan assembly?
Can't wait to also see your test results with a 5770 in a 2008 Mac Pro. I use OS X most of the time, but occasionally play some pretty graphics intensive games in Windows via Boot Camp. So I'm a bit on the fence between a 5770 and a 5870. If your 5870 testing is any indication, then hopefully the 5770 will work just as well.
How does the 5870 physically fit inside the 2008 Mac Pro? Does the card's bracket fit neatly into the slots in the fan assembly?
Very strange indeed, but fairly good news, because my second screen is low-res enough.
Like DualShock, I'm curious for a trial of how the 5770 does, since Apple makes an even stricter claim that it works only in 2010 Mac Pros. And, of course, thanks again for your efforts.
The 5770 would replace both cards. On the other hand, it won't be any faster than the 4870 you already own. On the other hand, it does run cooler, quieter, requires only one power lead.
Ok, thanks. I think I may return the GT 120 and sell the 4870. I got both with a discount, and as the 4870 is new I can sell it for around ~$275, save the $133 on the GT 120, and get the 5770 for about ~$200, saving me about $200.
Very good to hear.
How did you test originally? I believe I saw a support advisory from Apple saying something about recommending using the dual link DVI adaptors with the display ports on the 5870. Could that have possibly been the issue?
In my first try with the 2008, I used the $99 MDP to dual-link DVI adapter to mate the 5870 with the 30" Cinema. The screen was black with the light pulsating like it was sleeping.
In the second try, I had the two 23" Cinemas connected, one on the DVI port and one on the MDP via the $29 MDP to DVI adapter. That worked fine.
That's great news! Thanks for the great work.
Are folks able to find this card in stock anywhere ? Apple has had it as "unavailable" - and that status remains to date. I'd love to order one if I can just find it for sale somewhere.
I think once Apple fulfills orders for the CTO Mac Pros they will be available. But they will be worth the wait.
I'm really looking forward to the 5870 vs. 5770 benchmarks. I only see myself playing a couple of games... Starcraft II and the next year, the Star Wars MMO. I'd rather have a quieter video card.
I'm also assuming that one of these cards, even the 5770 can run a 27" and 24" LED concurrently.
I'm also assuming that one of these cards, even the 5770 can run a 27" and 24" LED concurrently.
The 30" Cinema works fine on the DVI port of the 5870 (on 2008, 2009, 2010 Mac Pro).
Next I tried to connect the 2010 Mac Pro with 5870 to the 30" Cinema using one of the Mini DisplayPorts via the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (Apple Store $99). The 30" Cinema's screen remains black. The "sleep" light comes on and pulsates. Nada. Zilch. Goose egg. Zippo.
Tried it on the 2009 and 2008. Same thing.
Any ideas?
Next I tried to connect the 2010 Mac Pro with 5870 to the 30" Cinema using one of the Mini DisplayPorts via the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (Apple Store $99). The 30" Cinema's screen remains black. The "sleep" light comes on and pulsates. Nada. Zilch. Goose egg. Zippo.
Tried it on the 2009 and 2008. Same thing.
Any ideas?
Wait, the 2010 as well?
Clearly sounds bugged. Either that or Apple's done something screwy to make the Mini DisplayPorts only work with the LED Cinema Displays.
Hmm it appears others are having issues with the MDP ports on their 5870's in 2010 Mac Pro's also.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1001577/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1001577/
Wait, the 2010 as well?
Clearly sounds bugged. Either that or Apple's done something screwy to make the Mini DisplayPorts only work with the LED Cinema Displays.
You know, I wonder about that being true. I went to Apple to purchase a mini-displayport to displayport adapter and they don't sell them, not even online. It's the same signal, just different connection size, so I wondered why Apple wouldn't carry such an adapter and only sold adapters that work with their displays. I found the adapters online at www.bhphotovideo.com for ~$27 each and ordered two of them as I want to get displayport to my Dell U2410 displays instead of using the DVI's (the Dell's support displayport daisy-chainging).
Is it possible for Apple to negate the ability to of the mini-displayports to work with displayport displays?
I doubt it, because they still have MacBooks and iMacs which only have MDP output for people who want a 2nd display.
The main reason they don't carry MDP to DisplayPort adapters is because like you said, they don't sell any displays that use anything but Mini-DisplayPort. They really want to push the MDP standard, and not making an adapter is a way of forcing manufacturers to use MDP instead of DisplayPort.
There should be no reason why an adapter wouldn't work though I don't think. Unless Apple somehow managed to sneak in a hidden pin in the MDP that nobody discovered (not likely considering it's an open standard), all of the same pins on the MDP translate to DisplayPort just fine. The only way it wouldn't work is if the adapter was faulty, or the display's ID in question was somehow not recognized by OS X, which would only happen if Apple purposely banned it (again, makes no sense).
One curious possibility is that they could have implemented the "sound output" part of DisplayPort "wrong" and made it incompatible with non-Apple displays. But then again, in that case I would think the sound would just not work, not the entire display.